Where I Stand — Mike O’Callaghan: More needs than water

Thursday, Jan. 9, 2003 | 8:57 a.m.

THE RESIDENTS OF WESTERN STATES know what water wars are all about. The drought has caused open conflicts between different special interest groups and also between states. A good example has been the battle over allocation of water in the Klamath River on the California-Oregon border. The shortage of water brought the farmers, sportsmen and Indian reservations into the fight.

Closer to home is the threat of our own area losing 30,000 acre-feet now coming out of Lake Mead. The growing need of water for California's large urban areas has put the cities and Imperial Valley farmers at odds. Both Las Vegas and Southern California have become adapted to using water in excess of their legal allocations.

Not only has the quantity of water become an issue in the United States but so has the quality of our water. The city of Atlanta had days last summer when a "boil your water" alert went out over the airwaves. Sen. Harry Reid, writing in Nevada's Washington Watch, told readers, "It is time for the Federal government to provide a new clearly defined Federal role in nationwide water resource policy. This policy should include new areas such as groundwater contamination and infiltration, drought management, water reclamation and reuse, and desalination."

Yes, we have serious water problems in our country, but the drought in other parts of the world have even more serious consequences. Famine and cholera in Africa are but a few of the water shortage problems so evident on that continent.

The shortage of water in the Middle East has given rise to tempers of both Lebanese and Israeli officials. The Lebanese have tapped into the waters of Wazzani Springs, which is three miles from the border of Israel. The Jerusalem Post reported the water removal as follows:

"In a part of the world benefiting from plentiful rainfall and a surfeit of fresh water sources, the additional amount of water Lebanon intends to draw from the Wazzani River -- a tributary of the Hatzbani which flows into the Jordan River above Lake Kinneret -- would be so minor as to barely merit comment.

"But in this arid region, control of such resources is of paramount importance and anything which upsets the delicate balance is cause for concern and, potentially, a casus belli.

"Water is the lifeblood of any nation and the ability of a state to guarantee reliable supplies to its citizens is one of the yardsticks by which its development can be measured."

I have mentioned in a past column the 226-page international report in 1999 on water problems in the Israel-Jordan area, which warns that its "inhabitants will almost assuredly live under conditions of significant water stress in the near future." Just imagine the stress their families will feel during the coming decades with the rapidly growing Palestinian Authority population as a neighbor. As their standard of living improves, so will their demand increase for more water.

We can't forget that the water supplied by the Tigris and Euphrates rivers for Iraq, Turkey and Syria all spring from within Turkey's borders. A new dam in Turkey now gives that country even larger reservoirs to control the flow of water. Water has become a big stick for Turkey when they seek compromises from its neighbors.

As we go about solving our Western water problems, there must be a give-and-take attitude on the part of participating parties. We can no longer depend upon a heavy rain or snowfall to bail us out of our dilemma. Long before the end of this century, the population of our country will double and so will the world's population. We can't count on a miracle that will double the amount of drinking water available. There are some solutions but war and argumentative confrontations aren't high on the list. Fortunately, we on the Colorado River can participate in solving some of our immediate problems. The solutions may seem costly and even painful today. Unless we act now, additional problems will soon appear and the dollar cost and level of pain will be even higher. When compared to drought problems facing other parts of the world, we are very fortunate.